Zanzibar road crashes decline slightly
ZANZIBAR: ROAD accident fatalities in Zanzibar jumped by 20 per cent in August 2026, even as total reported crashes saw a marginal dip, official government statistics show.
According to data released by the Office of the Chief Government Statistician (OCGS), 24 people lost their lives on Zanzibar roads in August, up from 20 deaths recorded in July.
Another 36 people sustained injuries during the month, up sharply from 18 recorded in July. Together, fatalities and injuries brought total casualties to 60 people, comprising 52 men and eight women.
Presenting the monthly report at the OCGS offices, Mr Ahmada Hassan Suleiman from the Division of Gender and Labour warned that road safety remains a major public health concern requiring stricter adherence to traffic laws.
“All road users are required to take precautions, especially drivers who must observe road safety regulations,” Mr Suleiman said.
Speeding remains the main killer: OCGS identified excessive speed as the leading cause of crashes, accounting for 17 out of the 28 recorded incidents, while the remaining 11 were attributed to driver negligence. North Unguja recorded seven speeding-related crashes, while Urban West led in crashes caused by driver negligence (seven cases).
“All road users are required to take precautions, especially drivers who must observe road safety regulations,” he said.
The statistics showed that North ‘A’ and North ‘B’ districts recorded the highest number of road accidents in August, with five each. In July, North ‘B’ and West ‘B’ districts recorded the highest number, with six accidents each.
Year-on-year, the number of road accidents increased by 7.7 per cent, from 26 in August 2025 to 28 in August 2026.
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North ‘A’ and North ‘B’ recorded the highest number of accidents in August 2026, with five each, while North ‘B’ recorded the highest number in August 2025, with seven.
Chake Chake District recorded the highest number of fatalities, with seven deaths, compared with West ‘B’, which recorded seven deaths in July.
The number of people injured rose sharply to 36 in August from 18 in July. North ‘A’ recorded the highest number of injuries, with 19 victims.
However, injuries declined by 20 per cent compared with August 2025, when 45 people were injured. North ‘A’ also recorded the highest number that month, with 28 injured people.
Among the 60 people killed or injured in August, 22 were passengers, 21 were cyclists and motorcyclists, 12 were pedestrians and five were drivers. The statistics identified speeding as the leading cause of accidents.
Of the 28 crashes recorded, 17 were attributed to speeding, while 11 were caused by driver negligence. North Unguja recorded the highest number of accidents linked to speeding, with seven cases, while Urban West recorded seven accidents attributed to driver negligence.
The OCGS also recorded 8,056 traffic offences during August, of which 8,046 involved men and 10 involved women.
